


The Statue's Wander

by donutsweeper



Category: Houdini & Doyle (TV)
Genre: Case Fic, Friendship, Gen, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8865874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: An incident where a statue was rumoured to have come alive attracts the interest of Harry, Arthur and Adelaide.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seren_ccd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seren_ccd/gifts).



> Scroll to the bottom to see a picture of the statue in question.

Adelaide was thoroughly unsurprised to be called into Merring's office that morning. All of Scotland Yard and most London was rife with rumours regarding the vandalism and resulting damage at Queen's Gate so of course Harry Houdini and Doctor Arthur Conan Doyle had learned of it and felt the need to poke about in the ensuing investigation. 

Knocking, she entered in time to hear Arthur exclaim, "The fact it occurred in the early hours August first, the anniversary of her death, is something that must be considered!"

"Yes," Harry countered, "but not because of some foolish legend about how Queen Anne's statue climbs down off its pedestal and walks three times up and down the street to mark the occasion! It's probably more to do with- oh, hello Adelaide, you're looking well."

"As are you," she replied, smiling at Harry, pleased to note that the pall that had hung over him following his mother's death seemed to have lessened somewhat. "Both of you," she added quickly including Arthur, truly glad to see that was indeed the case. If Benjamin's bullet had been a little higher or to the right… she shuddered to think about it.

"Eh, the Doc here's a tough cookie." Harry slapped Arthur on the back, practically bowling the man over with his exuberance. 

"Adelaide," Arthur greeted her with a nod. "Harry and I were just about to request your assistance as we looked into the incident at Queen Anne's Square. If that would be acceptable to you, sir?"

In unison, the two men turned to Inspector Merring who, in his typical fashion, sent them on their way by dismissing the three of them with a wave of the hand. Adelaide didn't mind, she was more than happy to take her leave without having to endure any derogatory statements or mocking asides by either the Chief Inspector or Sergeant Gudgett. 

In the Hansom on the way to the crime scene she filled them in on what she knew of the case. "The incident was reported to a Bobby by a passerby at a little after five this morning. The Bobby, a Constable Tompkins, arrived to find the statue in its usual place and appeared no worse for wear, although covered in dirt along its base and the gate surrounding it suffered had some damage."

"And because of that, a little dirt and damage, the natural conclusion to make is that the statue must have caused the damage while out for its annual stroll rather than, well, frankly, anything that makes the slightest bit of sense?"

"I would have thought, after everything that's happened, everything that we experienced in the past few months, that you would be more open to explanations that were perhaps more ethereal in nature."

Harry made a scoffing noise and looked ready to argue the point, but was distracted by the cab pulling to a stop as they arrived at the square, a few houses down from Queen Anne's gate and the statue's location. He hopped out instead, holding the door for her and offering his hand, which she ignored, as she exited. 

Arthur followed, grunting a bit as he stepped down, obviously pained by the movement but attempting to hide it.

"You should still have your cane, Doc. Bullet wounds are serious business."

"I am well aware of the seriousness of my injury. I am a doctor after all," Arthur huffed, but he did accept Harry's arm while they walked up to the statue.

Approaching the constable on duty there, Adelaide introduced herself and her companions, "I am Constable Stratton. I'm here with my associates, Doctor Doyle and Harry Houdini. Chief Inspector Merring has given us the authority to investigate this morning's incident regarding the statue." 

The man ignored her, setting his sights on Arthur instead. "Doyle? As in the Sherlock Holmes author, Doyle?"

"Yes, I am he," Arthur replied. Interestingly, he no longer seemed annoyed by the association; Adelaide would have to ask him about that later. 

"It's an honour to meet you, sir."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it is," Harry said, getting in the constable's face. "But, if you don't mind, we'd kind of like to get on with our examination, so if you'd allow us through?"

"Oh, yes, right. Of course. By all means." 

Adelaide refrained from either rolling her eyes at sycophantical nature of the man as he let them pass or commenting on Harry's annoyance over it, instead focussing on the details in front of her. The base of the gate that surrounded the statue had been damaged so that the centre grouping of wrought iron bars jutted forward at an angle, pointing away from the statue rather than straight up to the sky as they were supposed to. The statue itself, meanwhile, had muck and mire smeared over its base, along the hem of the Queen's "skirt".

"Look at the way they're angled," Arthur murmured, fingering one. "It's almost as if something heavy leant on them, pushing them forward."

"Or, someone purposely cracked their masonry and pulled them forward to make it appear that way," Harry countered.

"I shall never understand why you are so quick to dismiss evidence of the supernatural!"

"And I will never understand why you are so quick to embrace it!"

Adelaide left the two of them to their perpetual back and forth, choosing to gather actual facts instead. "Constable… Tompkins, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And this is your usual beat?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Can you tell me what happened this morning?"

"Certainly, ma'am." Harry and Arthur ceased their bickering, stepping closer to listen as he began to tell his story. "Everything was quiet on my rounds, just like always. I was around the corner on Carteret Street when a knocker-upper comes running up to me, yelling about the Queen's statue and how it'd come alive."

"A knocker-upper?" Harry asked.

"A knocker-upper is someone hired to wake workers by rapping on their window with a long pole or something to that effect," Adelaide explained.

"I know what a knocker-upper is; I've read my Dickens," Harry replied. "But what I'm curious about is why a knocker-upper would be here, in this neighbourhood. This isn't the sort of real estate that caters to the kind of worker who'd need to hire someone to make sure they wake up at a certain hour in order to make their shift. People here," Harry gestured at the stately houses along the street, "seem more the type to not only keep regular hours, but to have servants to rouse them if the occasion called for an early start to the day."

"He has a point," Arthur allowed. Turning to Constable Tompkins he asked, "You said 'a knocker-upper' brought the situation here to your attention, implying it wasn't someone you knew. I would have thought you'd be well acquainted with people who regularly worked along your beat."

"I normally am, yeah." Tompkins took off his helmet and gave his head a scratch, obviously thinking about what Arthur was suggesting. "Widow Nichols works over by the church but I don't think I've come across anyone knocking-up around here before."

"So someone you had never seen before came running up to you yelling about this statue," Harry said, gesturing at the statue in question. "How did you know this person was a knocker-upper?" 

"Well they said they were one, didn't they? And besides, who else'd be awake that early?"

Assumptions like that were dangerous to make in police work. Trying not to let her frustration with Tompkins show, Adelaide asked, "Was it a man or a woman? Did they have any tricks of the trade with them? A truncheon, heavy stick or pea-shooter, perhaps?"

"It was a man and, hrm... well, no, now that you mention it, I didn't see that he had anything like that."

"Did you record their information?" she asked next. They were definitely onto something here.

"Erm, yeah, a Mister Robert Bowers. I have his particulars right here." He pulled out his book and flipped through a few pages and then, against regulation, passed it to Arthur. 

Considering Tompkins' obvious hero worship, Adelaide chose not to make an issue of it, trusting Arthur to make note of the information they'd need and used the opportunity to further question the man. "Have you had this beat long?"

"Yes, ma'am, going on four years now."

"Anything interesting happen around here during that time?" Harry asked, following her line of thinking.

"I don't know what you're implying, sir," Tompkins replied, but he tugged on the collar of his uniform, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"You seem an observant man," Arthur began, picking up where she and Harry had left off. "I'm sure you would be aware if there were any issues or difficulties amongst the residents of this neighbourhood."

"Well, I'm not one for idle chatter," Thompkins began, protesting a bit too heartily for someone who truly never partook in the occasional bit of gossip.

"Oh, of course not," Harry said quickly, in that overly agreeable manner of his that so often got witness to spill their secrets to them.

"But one does hear things, walking the beat day after day, year after year."

"It is the nature of the job, I am well aware." Adelaide nodded, and, after a moment of silence prodded, "Please continue."

"All I can say for certain is that folks don't agree when it comes to that statue. Some think it's an eyesore and reflects badly on the crown while others like it. Aside from that, I can't say."

"Well, thank you for your time," Adelaide said and bade him goodbye before leading the Harry and Arthur across the square. "Well, what do you think?" she asked once they were safely out of earshot.

"Bowers was no knocker-upper," Arthur stated firmly.

"You seem awfully certain of that." Harry didn't prod further though, like Adeline he knew Arthur well enough by now to wait to let the man present his case.

"No tools of the trade and a fictional address. That block of houses on Gray's Inn Road where he claimed to live were demolished when the road was widened years ago." He shrugged when Harry looked at him. "I researched the location in preparation for setting one of my Holmes stories there but it never amounted to anything."

That was a damning bit of trivia, but not enough to foster any conclusions. "I think we need more information."

Arthur nodded as Harry suggested, "I think a bit of snooping is in order, don't you?"

"There are certainly enough people milling about to make some innocent inquiries," Arthur agreed.

They separated, working their way through the throng of onlookers, approaching and questioning each person carefully.

Perhaps a quarter of an hour later they regrouped to discuss what they'd discovered.

"Doc, why don't you start?" Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and leant against the wall as Arthur pulled out the notes he'd taken.

"Well, historically speaking, no one I spoke to seemed to know when the statue was built, the consensus appears to be near the beginning of Queen Anne's reign. It was originally located elsewhere in the square but was placed in its current position about a hundred years ago. That is the only thing of note I learned other than the fact that, well, most people find it ugly."

"Apparently the statue had fallen into disrepair over the years, losing both its nose and right arm," Adelaide began, sharing the information she'd gathered. "The last Earl of Caernarvon and others successfully petitioned to have the Office of Works clean and repair it and public funds were used to do so back in the early 1860s which created some controversy as it is privately owned."

"Aha," Harry countered, "But there is some disagreement over who exactly owns it and what said ownership entails. The rumour is that a certain Mister Hatton, who lives at Sixteen Queen Anne's Gate considers the statue is a bit of an eyesore and in need of both a good cleaning and more repairs, but Mister Dixon of number fifteen, the man who claims to be the owner, is determined to keep her as she is." Whispering conspiratorially, Harry added, "One of their neighbours, a lovely older woman by the name of Miss Winifred Herbert, not only informed me of all of that, but also that Dixon is a bit of a cheapskate and is hoping the Crown will take it upon themselves to fix the thing up again but hasn't been able to drum up the necessary support."

"But, perhaps, he is willing to make it appear that the statue is haunted or has come to life or what have you in order to bolster such interest?" Arthur supposed, sounding slightly disappointed. "The fact that the legend already existed that it came to life annually on the anniversary of Queen Anne's death would have only helped aid such an endeavour."

"The damage to the gate is actually rather minimal." Adelaide noted. "A brick mason could likely fix it very easily. And a bit of work with a rag would remove that mud from this morning's incident and the statue would no more worse for wear."

Harry nodded and raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "A bit suspicious, that, don't you think?" 

"I concur."

"Glad to hear it, Doc. Well, this case wound up being boring. It all comes down to money for some people, I guess. So, what do you want to do?" Harry asked, addressing Adelaide. "Confront Dixon ourselves or do you think Merring's going to want to do the honours?"

Adelaide considered it. This close to both Westminster and the Palace, it was likely the residents of the area were of that particular social stature that expected interactions to be of that certain type of deferential nature that a man like Merring excelled at but people like Harry Houdini and herself did not. "Perhaps, all things considered, we should present our findings to the Chief Inspector and let him choose how to continue looking into this matter." 

"An excellent idea," Harry declared. "Does that mean we can stop and get a bite of eat before we head back? Because this one," he jutted his thumb in Arthur's direction, "was so excited about this case he tracked me down and dragged me over to Scotland Yard before I could even sit down to breakfast."

"I did no such thing," Arthur quickly protested.

"Yes, you did."

"Okay, maybe I did." He looked so sheepish about it that Adelaide couldn't help but laugh.

"I think we can find time for that."

"Excellent, I'm buying. Adelaide," Harry said, bowing and offering one arm to her, who shook her head fondly, but took it. "Doc," he added, offering the other to Arthur, who snorted with amusement as he took it. Arm-in-arm the three of them walked out of the square and on their way.

 

* * *

 

The statue:

[Queen Anne's Gate, ca.1886](https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/queen-annes-gate?all_fields=Society+for+photographing+Relics+of+Old+London&form=objects&index=34&total_entries=119)

Taken by [Society for Photographing Relics of Old London.](https://hyperallergic.com/299912/the-photographers-of-1870s-london-who-documented-their-disappearing-city/)

(The information regarding the statue's history, location and previous repair is all true, as is the legend that on the anniversary of Queen Anne's death, the first of August, the statue climbs down and walks three times up and down the street. However, the incident presented in this story is, unsurprisingly, fictional.)


End file.
